Curiosity Matters

An Exploration of Branding, Design and Cultural Trends

Harvard and Facebook

Okay, First off, I don't have some vendetta against rich people or ivy league grads. I'm simply digesting the latest headlines. Yesterday's NYT article reveals that Facebook demanded Harvard's magazine, 02138, to take down unflattering documents about Mark Zuckerberg that were posted in reference to a lawsuit that claimed he stole code for Facebook's development. Wow, way to go NYT for leading millions of readers to the documents Zuckerberg wanted removed. I guess we know whose side they are on.

And now I will tie in my previous posts about our supposed meritocracy to the 02138 profile of Mark Zuckerberg so the rest of us don't feel bad that we have not yet developed a multi-billion dollar company. But as to its merits of originality, that's up for debate. So we already know that he was educated in the comfortable dorms of Harvard, at least until he dropped out.

He grew " up in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., an affluent enclave just north of New York City, Zuckerberg, the son of a dentist and a psychiatrist, showed an early interest in computer programming. Just before sixth grade, armed with his first desktop PC and the book C++ for Dummies, he began teaching himself how to code. After his junior year in high school, he attended Harvard Summer School for a three-month intensive course in ancient Greek. On Zuckerberg’s Harvard application, David Petrain, his summer-school instructor, described his pupil as a “rare combination of brilliant student and thoroughly likable human being.”

By that point, Zuckerberg had left Dobbs Ferry for Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Excelling in math and science, he threw himself into his classes. He also joined the fencing team, a sport about which he rhapsodized on his Harvard application: “[Fencing] has always proven to be the perfect medium. … I rarely find myself doing anything more enjoyable than fencing a good bout.”

I don't resent him. I mean he's obviously smart.. I'm just sayin.. Now for the guys accusing him.. um... see for yourself.

"As boys, Zuckerberg and the Winklevosses were practically neighbors. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, 26, are from Greenwich, Conn., less than 20 miles from Dobbs Ferry. Aside from being smart children from well-to-do families, however, they share few similarities. The twins, Olympic crew hopefuls, are the sons of a former Wharton School professor who now works as an investment consultant. The “craggy, Neanderthal-esque” twosome, as the Crimsondescribed them, studied economics. Where Zuckerberg is pale and thin, the Winklevoss twins are tall and fit. Their style is more prepster than geek: They once rowed a crew race while wearing button-down shirts and ties. Since their graduation in 2004, the twins have raced all over the world, recently winning gold medals at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Their father supports their training."

But enough about their personal backgrounds. I highly recommend the article. It sounds likes his classmates are the ones who truly do have class. His behavior is shady at best and the accusation that he stole the idea of Facebook is credible. Non the less, I'm still on Facebook and would be lost without Scrabulous. But wait, are the makers of Scrabble suing the makers of Scrabulous...